Schempp-Hirth Ventus B

The Schempp-Hirth Ventus was a sailplane produced by Schempp-Hirth between 1980 and 1994. It replaced the Mini-Nimbus. It was designed by Klaus Holighaus.

Carbon fibre had become less expensive and so the whole wing was made of carbon reinforced plastic. A new thinner wing section was also developed. In addition to the 15 metre span complying with the Racing Class, longer tips were available to increase the span to 16.6 metres. Two fuselage sizes were produced, the Ventus a is the narrow version and the Ventus b is the wider version. Winglets have been retro-fitted to many a's and b's. The best measured glide ratio at 15 metres is 44:1 but with the 16.6 metre tips the ratio improved to 46:1 (50:1 according to one source).